Ukraine’s Kharkov region to build three lines of defense

KIEV, April 19. /TASS/. Three lines of defense will be built in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region along the border with Russia and in territories adjacent to the zone of force operation in eastern Ukraine, Igor Rainin, the head of the Kharkov region state administration, told the 24 publication on Sunday.

The first line of defence, in his words, was the state project Wall to be resumed after May 10, 2015. "The second line of defense will be maintained not by border guards but by units of the defense ministry," he said, adding that the third line would be fortified structures to be built at the regional initiative.

"There is a hillock at the crossroads of the Kharkiv circular motor road and the Belgorod highway which cannot be bypassed by a potential enemy. So, we will build a reliable long-term fortified facility there. We gave it the name Fort Solnechny [Sunny]," he said, adding it would already be inaugurated after April 25.

He did not rule out similar structures would be erected in other locations. "Several more fortified facilities will probably be built in the Kharkov region. Apart from that, a total of 31 facilities will be built in territories adjacent to the combat operation zone, i.e. near the Donetsk and Luhansk regions," Rainin said, adding that these facilities were being built at the expense of the state budget. "There is a government resolution to allocate 900 million hryvnias ($42.7 million under the current exchange rate) to build 300 engineering facilities along the line of engagement," he noted.

However he admitted that despite the resolution the funds had not yet reached the regional administration because of the long enactment procedure. "But all Kharkov region building companies are working on credit. Neither of them has refused to work. Now, works have been performed to a sum of five-seven million hryvnias ($237,000-$332,000)," he added.